MIKEY JOHNSTON was speaking after Celtic 3-0 win over Ross County on Saturday when he talked about the Celtic stars appreciating that they had to avoid slips at all cost in the title run-in.
That win pushed Celtic five points clear at the top of the Premiership although the Rangers at that point had two games in hand, one of which was at Tynecastle against the league’s bottom side. Talking of slips…
“We know we can’t afford a slip up,” Mikey Johnston told the media on Saturday evening, as reported by Scottish Sun.
“Every game is a must-win just now. We’ve got guys in the team who have been there for
all the recent titles we’ve won so we have got the experience to get us through games.
“Guys like Scott Brown pull you through. It’s your mentality that’s going to win you the league.
“There is not too much difference between the way the current manager and Brendan Rodgers do things, to be fair. They are both winners, but their coaching styles are a bit different.
“We’ve scored goals from corners this year, which I felt we never did enough of in the last couple of years. Maybe that is because big Chris Jullien is there now and he’s scoring from headers.
“But I think that’s the main difference, it’s not much else.”
The Celtic winger won the penalty that set Celtic in their way to the win on 38 minutes of a frustrating first half. James Forrest had a header that was brilliantly saved just after that which could have doubled the Celtic lead but the supporters are clever enough to appreciate that with the Champions setting up with the Brendan Rodgers 4-2-3-1 formation – Ross County, repeat Ross County! – were able to exploit the holes left at the back as the two full backs pushed forward and could themselves have been two up at the interval. They certainly seemed capable of cutting Celtic wide open every time they fired a long ball up the park.
Memo to the coaching staff, Jonny Hayes is idea as a wing-back but when you have two left backs available and want to play a back four, go with one of them.
The closeness of the contest ended when Odsonne Edouard replaced Leigh Griffiths – who proved that he’s not the man for the lone striker role with two wingers and full backs launching crosses into the box.
Griffiths and Edouard together as a striking partnership works well and it was probably only the injury concern surrounding Edouard’s toe that prevented both starting at the weekend.
The French striker, ‘talismanic’ was the word Neil Lennon used to describe him, should him how its’s done pretty much as soon as he came on. Great movement from a Callum McGregor corner, and a free header four yards out, 2-0. Game over.
His second and Celtic’s third was a thing of beauty, Forrest ran at the County defence and found Edouard cleverly finding space, the movement, the finish, top drawer.
He could have had a hat-trick when Kevin Clancy awarded a free kick inside the D but Mikey Johnston took the responsibility and blasted into the wall. The winger spoke about this free kick after the game as he praised the French striker.
“Odsonne has got so much talent and his confidence is brimming just now. Whenever he gets the ball he thinks something is going to happen. He’s unbelievable,” Johnston said.
“His is quiet as a character and he’s chilled as well. He’s also unselfish — I wanted him to hit that second-half free-kick for his hat-trick.
“But I was on free-kicks for the game and he said to me ‘no, on you go, take it’. I said to him, ‘you’re on your hat-trick, take it’, but he said ‘no, you take it’.
“You’ve got to be selfish at times as well but you’ve also got to be unselfish at times, too. I thought it was a good gesture from him.
“I should have put it in the net but it was nice of him. After I hit the ball he said to me, ‘right, I’m not giving you it again!’.
“I think Odsonne is just enjoying his football. He is scoring week in and week out and he is unbelievable for us.
“You never know what is going to happen in the future but he is a special talent.”
And talking of slips if you haven’t seen the Highlights from Tynecastle yet or if you just want to enjoy them again, here you go. Enjoy!
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